7 News Belize

Shackron Proposes Shutdown
posted (September 14, 2010)
And because of all that crime - and the police's apparent powerlessness to stop it - the Belizeans for Justice organization is calling for a shutdown in the city on Thursday.

The shutdown is being organized as a protest against the crime situation in Belize and also in mourning for 8 year old Eyannie Nunez who was shot early Sunday morning while sleeping inside her home. Today President of Belizeans for Justice - Yolanda Schackron told Seven News more about why they feel they must do it:…

Yolanda Schakron, President, Belizean for Justice
"We are calling for a shutdown of all the businesses on Thursday of this week that's the same day that the little girl will be buried - Nunez and we are just trying to make it gesture of solidarity with the family and with all the Belizeans coming together and showing that we have had enough and enough is enough and we want our leaders to really take notice and really stop acting like they are doing something but do something and do it tangible where we are seeing results. We cannot have a few thugs running this city and scaring the citizens. We cannot allow that to continue. I have call on the Chinese community; I believe we have them on board. I have call on the chamber of commerce, they are sending out memos to all their members. I have call on Mr. Arun Hotchandani, he will be returning my call later today. And I am calling on the other businesses that do not belong to these organizations especially the Belizean businesses. Close down, it's our children that are getting murdered. This is not about Chinese, about Indian, about black, about white we are all Belizeans. In the end we are Belizean and this is our country and we need to take it back from the criminals. I think we have to make sacrifice. In order for us to get results, we have to have sacrifices in this life and one day of business will not make a difference. I am a business person and I will be closing both of my businesses because death is death and you can't bring back your children when they get murdered. So better we take a stand now because we are losing our city to the thugs and if we take a stand now it's better than later because later we cannot get back our city out of the hands of the criminals."

Monica Bodden
"You also want schools to jump onboard this initiative?"

Yolanda Schakron, President, Belizean for Justice
"I wish that on that day just solidarity for that little child that maybe the mothers don't send their kids to school or maybe just keep them at home or make the teachers say that they won't teach today - something like that. I am not trying to say to have civil disobedience or anything like that. We don't believe in violence but we want to take a stand because we can't afford for 8 yr old children continue to be murdered in this city."

The shutdown of all Belizean Stores is planned for Thursday - the same day as the funeral for 8 year old Eyannie Nunez. ..

And speaking of crime - the leader of the opposition also issued a statement on crime today, condemning, quote, "The Government's lack of a coherent and effective response to the escalating violent crime in our communities." The statement airs as an ad later in this newscast…

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